Statement
To make a custom sketchbook out of any materials for a unique and interesting book.
Ideation
To make a sketchbook with an emphasis on scrap to make something new. I have too many old sheets from last semester that I have no use for. So I had the idea to implement all of this loose paper into my sketchbook somehow. At first, I thought to use the sheets as is because I misunderstood the assignment as making a fully used sketchbook. However, after learning that we were only to make an empty sketchbook my mind was brought to “Upcycling” the act of taking an older item and remaking it into an entirely new thing. I took this line confidence exercise from Design Visualizations that we did last semester and cut it up into strips. After cutting it all up I weaved the strips into a rectangular lattice and used paper cement and tracing paper to seal the weave permanently. I continued this process to make 3 more of the lattices.
For the actual cover of the book, I looked on Pinterest 
for inspiration and I came across this wonderful image of a cover I really like the minimalism of the cardstock cover and the waves. So I wanted to emulate the aspects of this wave cover into my own sketchbook. I wanted to use minimalism and cardstock in my own design. For the actual cover exterior, I wanted a sturdy and brown material like wood, in class, I found a piece of hardboard that I thought would fit in nicely as a cover. After gathering all of the materials I was to move on to production.
Production/Iteration
Making the cover for the sketchbook came together simply. In Design Fundamentals we designed an initial with a negative icon for a logo. I thought that laser cutting the element as clear acrylic would be a simple and great way to have a logo that relates to me on the cover. I settled on Hardboard for the cover because I wanted something that could be interpolated as wood for the feel and color. I Lazer cut the Letter A with a fox imprint out of clear green acrylic, after cutting all of the pieces of the cover they fit together seamlessly and were secured with paper cement.
I wanted to keep the book’s cover mainly empty because I like the minimalist look of a clean cover. I also decided to make “chapter pages” to mark every 10 pages or so with the upcycled paper I made.
I would cut out a rectangle in the page to then glue in the lattice sheet so it could be displayed once that page was reached.
On the morning of the presentation day, I had all of the components of my project together including some very nice handmade paper that I purchased on amazon. I was going to bind them before the showings began however, the paper that I purchased was not able to be bound to the book, effectively leaving my book unfinished for the showings.
After class, I was able to get some compatible paper, and I laser-cut it to ensure accuracy. After cutting 
everything the book came together quickly into this nice brown and green sketchbook. Along with the handmade paper that I made earlier, I could put them into the desired spots of my book and the contrast they provide is excellent.
Conclusion
This project was a satisfying way to make a sketchbook in my own image. I found it exciting in the minor detail of making the book enjoyable. The open-endedness of the project allowed for a lot of interpretation and exploration. Many of my classmates had intricate and genius designs. which inspired my own creations of handmade paper and acrylic inlay cover. In this project I noticed that my craftsmanship has improved along with the production of the project itself, excluding the mishap with the paper, I found the project to be a great exploration of materials and techniques which allowed for a satisfying final product.